A Kinder, Gentler Kindle and a Better Way to Recycle

Every now and then Design News likes to revisit some of our favorite Gadget Freak projects. Robotic hands, manipulated Kindles, and smart recycling cans round out the latest crop.

Rob Spiegel

May 30, 2016

1 Min Read
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All of these projects include a video, complete build instructions, pictures to guide the build, and a full bill of materials. Today's collection includes everything from a smart bike that shifts itself to the Frankenkindle -- an easier-to-use Kindle for the special-needs community.

Do you have a cool, original, homemade gadget collecting dust in your garage? Give us the details at DesignNews.com/GF, and you may receive $500 and entry into our Gadget Freak of the Year contest for a chance to win $6,000!

Will you build one of these cool gadgets? Tell us in the comments section below!

Click the robotic hand to begin the slideshow:

Adam Allevato and his fellow mechanical engineering students at Colorado State University created a human-like hand that can be operated in environments that are toxic to humans. Click here.

SEE MORE GADGET FREAK PROJECTS ON DESIGN NEWS:

Rob Spiegel has covered automation and control for 15 years, 12 of them for Design News. Other topics he has covered include supply chain technology, alternative energy, and cyber security. For 10 years he was owner and publisher of the food magazine Chile Pepper.

About the Author

Rob Spiegel

Rob Spiegel serves as a senior editor for Design News. He started with Design News in 2002 as a freelancer covering sustainability issues, including the transistion in electronic components to RoHS compliance. Rob was hired by Design News as senior editor in 2011 to cover automation, manufacturing, 3D printing, robotics, AI, and more.

Prior to his work with Design News, Rob worked as a senior editor for Electronic News and Ecommerce Business. He served as contributing editolr to Automation World for eight years, and he has contributed to Supply Chain Management Review, Logistics Management, Ecommerce Times, and many other trade publications. He is the author of six books on small business and internet commerce, inclluding Net Strategy: Charting the Digital Course for Your Company's Growth.

He has been published in magazines that range from Rolling Stone to True Confessions.

Rob has won a number of awards for his technolloghy coverage, including a Maggy Award for a Design News article on the Jeep Cherokee hacking, and a Launch Team award for Ecommerce Business. Rob has also won awards for his leadership postions in the American Marketing Association and SouthWest Writers.

Before covering technology, Rob spent 10 years as publisher and owner of Chile Pepper Magazine, a national consumer food publication. He has published hundreds of poems and scores of short stories in national publications.

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